Shop Made Tools

[Stern]

Figured I would screw it up lol Hope this one works

http://homemademillingmachine.blogspot.ca/

OK, think I got it right, and seems to have stuck both blogs in the same spot lol Im such a newb lol

[Deja Vu]

Figured I would screw it up lol Hope this one works

http://homemademillingmachine.blogspot.ca/

OK, think I got it right, and seems to have stuck both blogs in the same spot lol Im such a newb lol

Hi Stern,
I like your "use what you got" approach. Along the way I see you modified your band saw(just like mine) to cut much wider. Although you have several pics, I can't make out what you did to get it to cut the wide pieces. ...I hope you elaborate on this too in your blog.

Thanks!

[Stern]

Can do, will get some pics and stick that in. When I got the bandsaw (cheap, $50.00 since it was missing a few bits, mainly the back part of the locking vise). I ended up sticking a 90 deg piece in there welded up from a couple of bits of 1/2 plate. Mine does have a "moon" grove to allow the back part to rotate for cutting angles.
The main problem is the front piece of the vise (the one on the handle) does go back far enough for anything wider than about 5", (for anything between 5-6" I have to spin it around, but that doesn't hold well) so I think I may make a new front bit that will at least let me clamp stuff that's around 6" (anything bigger and the guide wheels interfere with it).

[whateg01]

Chuck key for my 3-jaw

Not sure if I can compete with some of the work you guys do, but I guess this isn't a competition, so I should be okay!

I've had a couple of projects on the "list" for awhile. Last night, I finally got around to working on them. When I bought my old Wiedenhoff lathe, it came with a 5" 3-jaw chuck and a bent spindle, complete with crap bearings. So, I put this list off until I figured it was worth doing. Now that my buddy Bob has helped me out, turning a new spindle for me, and I put some new bearings in, it has a really nice finish, so it's time to make some of the other stuff I've thought of. Here's #1.

The 3-jaw had a 3/8" socket extension that had been ground to fit as a key. I've been using that for several years now and it's been functional. But, the breaker bar I've been using with it is also used with a socket to work the vise on the mill and it's a PITA to go get it from the other machine all the time. So a proper key was in order. After taking some measurements from other keys I have for other chucks, and some measurements from the socket or pinion or whatever the gear on the chuck is called, I started making chips.

First thing was to turn the body of the chuck. Started with a chunk of 1" HRS, so it doesn't have the nicest finish, but I did run the file over it, so it doesn't have any of the little sharp points sticking up grabbing my fingers.


Next I machined the working part of the key. I was surprised to find that the chuck had taper to it. I don't know if there are others like this, but it struck me as odd. Anyway, I measured the width at the top and bottom and the depth and then worked out the angle. I just used my homemade sine bar sitting on the vise and eyeballed the work in the vise to get it close enough. Machined the tapered portion, then welded it to the turned part of the body.




After fighting with the handle a bit, I got it all put together. I was relying on the handle to be a light press fit, but it didn't seem to want to be. So, it started nicely, then got really hard, even bending the handle in the press. I straightened it and continued, and finally won.


So, that was project #1 last night.

Dave

[whateg01]

Insert holder for DCMT

As guess as long as I'm at this, and with all the ideas I've pulled from here, I might as well contribute some more, right?

I bought a bunch of DCMT inserts off of Ebay a while back and when I got them, they wouldn't fit my Seco or my Phase II holders. After many measurements, I found that the hole was slightly smaller than whatever was in the holders when I got them. Since the hole in the holder, and thus the retaining screw, are slightly back of center to keep the insert seated back in the pocket, it was pushing the insert back so far that it wouldn't pull down into the pocket. I figured it was my bad for buying off of Ebay. So, they sat in the drawer. Then I ordered some stuff from Shars and figured I might as well get those tool holders back in business, so I ordered some DCMT inserts there. They are better, but they still wouldn't seat down in the pocket! Now I had a dozen inserts with nowhere to go. So, after consulting with my buddy Bob about the material for the tool holder, I decided it was something I could tackle. I didn't have any stock that would work without me having to cut from a large piece, and I didn't want to do that at the time, so I took a 3/4" bolt and made it flat and rectangular. I had ordered a 3-flute carbide EM for another project, and it was perfect for this. I profiled the end the way I wanted it, cut the pocket then placed an insert in the pocket and center punched it. Drill, tap, and voila! I did find out that either the material has a hard spot or my tap is really dull. After getting in about 1/8", the tap stopped. I don't mean it got hard to turn. It stopped! So, I counter bored the back side to give the screw clearance. Not perfect, but it works. And I know now that I can make these tools!



Dave

[whateg01]

Lathe Spindle

Not sure if this really fits here or not, but it is part of a tool, the lathe, and it was made in my buddy's shop, so technically...

When I bought my lathe a few years back, I was disappointed that the finish I was getting wasn't as nice as I was expecting. Being inexperienced, i didn't know any better and lived with it, just knowing that it was a limitation to what I could do. Fast forward to a few months ago and my buddy was over having me press something and I showed him what I was getting. He was appalled at the finish and said it should definitely be better. So, I set out to find the source of the finish problem, eliminating play, flex, and anything else that could be the problem, or so I thought. When I first got the machine, I asked around on some forums about the finish, and the fact that the faceplate wobbled, and some people suggested bent spindle or cracked spindle, but nobody said anything about the bearings. Well, I had run out of things go check, so I decided to pull the spindle and bearings. We set out to measure the runout in the spindle, but with the pipe wrench marks and scarred ends, we would have had to build a fixture to put it in on the bearing surfaces. Instead (as I secretly hoped he would) Bob suggested that we could turn a new spindle. Between that and the new bearings, it's almost like I have a new lathe now! Oh, and one of the bearings came apart while I was pulling the spindle. I mic'd the balls in it and none of them were round. Even on my mic, which only reads down to 0.001", I can see a difference of about 0.0007" in roundness. So, even if the bearings didn't have a bunch of crud caked on the inside of the races, there is no way they could be spinning smooth!

Anyway here's the amazing spindle...
(You may notice that the threads on the nose and the registration flange (or whatever it's called) were left long in this photo. I didn't see any added value in replicating exactly the original. I turned the end down to the length of the faceplate I have after it was installed and verified it was all running true. This left me room to true it up if I'd needed to, though. I also don't have a taper now. I may do that later, but I've not needed it yet, so who knows. At least if I do it in the machine, I know it'll be centered.)


Dave

[whateg01]

The knob on the blade tensioner on my bandsaw broke. This was a pretty simple thing to do. I still haven't made it to the store to get a proper setscrew, but it works. Since it only used about 5/8" of the threads on the end, I just used a 3/8" bolt that was close to the right length. The arms are just 5/15" bolts with all but about 3/8" of the threads cut off and the heads cut off as well. They are locktited in.


Dave

[whateg01]

Sherline EM holder wrench

Probably one of the simplest tools I've ever made, but it was fun because I used my bigger mill in a way I never had before. I read an article awhile back about using a CNC mill as a lathe for small parts. Well, my mill isn't CNC'd, but it still worked great and since I don't have a collet holder for the lathe yet (it's on the list), the mill got the call.

It's just a piece of 3/16" HRS turned down to 0.150" to fit the holes in the spindle and EM holder. Beats using "whatever will fit in the hole" to change tools on the Sherline.





Dave

[RobWilson]

Finished off making a set of instrument makers vice's today.






Rob

[_Paul_]

New Flycutter










Paul

[Cuttings]

Heavy work bench. Lagged to wall studs and bolted to the floor.

[Cuttings]

Grinding rest with end mill sharpening fixture.






Grinding rest attachments for sharpening other things. Does a great job on center punches.

[whateg01]

Larry,

That looks great! Despite all of the warnings not to do so, I am looking to sharpen a few of my HSS endmills and your fixture has provided more inspiration. How does it do? It looks like you are only grinding the ends, right? Do you have any more pics? What do you use for ways/rails/guides?

Dave

[adatesman]

Following what Dave said just above, I'm curious if such a setup would scale down effectively for sharpening just the ends... I have an unused Sherline lathe sitting on a shelf and while sub-1/4" endmills are cheap, on my Taig mill I rarely do much other than take out the corners or dull the bottom 0.050", so grinding them back might be worthwhile.

Looks like all I'd need is a cup wheel and a fixture to bring it up to centerline, time the cutting edge and provide the relief angle. Or to put it another way, stupid easy if I make use of the spare ER16 collet chuck I have in the drawer...

[Cuttings]

Grinding rest and End Mill sharpening fixture.

Thanks for the interest Dave & adatesman
I am a bit proud of my accomplishment here as I had never used a mill before buying this Craftex B2229 Combination Mill & lathe from Busy Bee here in Canada. I took me quite a while to make all the pieces for this thing.
I got the design from a book I also bought from Busy Bee called " Milling a Complete Course" by Harold Hall, which is part of a workshop practice series from Special Interest Model Books in England.

First to answer your questions - It will grind both the ends and edges. I have only done ends so far as I only finished it a little while ago. I don't have any more pictures but could easily take more now I have learned how to post them.
The cup wheel you see is diamond. I was having trouble finding any kind of cupped wheel. I got a lead to check out a local abrasive company and found out when I got there that he only made diamond wheels.
They were out of my price range so I was about to leave when he said wait a minute and dug up this wheel which he said was a second but do what I wanted well and last me a lifetime. $50 and I took it away.
The grinding rest will sharpen almost anything you can figure out how to mount on it.

I made some modification to the original design on the End Mill fixture. He wanted you to make up the center shaft and collets to suit. I had never cut any tapers before so if I got one right that would be good.
I increased the diameter of the shaft a little so I could cut an internal MT3 Taper to suit the collets I already had for the mill and set up to use a draw bare rather than the design he had. That worked out well so anything I have a collet
for I can grind. I have used it to grind tool bits and center punches with very nice results using some of the other attachments you see.

I would do one thing differently and that is buy a better grinder. I thought a light duty grinder would be fine for this because I didn't need a lot of power. Thats OK but the shoulders On the armature to hold the inner washers are so
small it was impossible to get a stone to run true. I ended up removing the armature from the grinder cleaning the shoulders and the surfaces inside them up and making heavier washers with a step that extend in past the
shoulders as far as I could. I then put washers on the armature using spacers to replace the stones and machined the faces right in place. She runs pretty true now.

I suggest if you are really interested, try and pick up a copy of this little book. It goes into good detail about the making of all the parts. It is all in metric though. I worked in metric rather than convert everything over.
Had to keep thinking as my head works better in inches. Just shout if you would like more pictures or information and I will see what I can do.